It is known to provide barriers between channels (e.g. openings to inner basins or bays along a seacoast, river channels, lagoons or like water basins) with barriers which obstruct the channel to prevent the incursion of water from the open seas, e.g. an ocean, upon the development of high seas.
Such barriers may also be used to protect shorelines, coastal installations and offshore installations from high tides, rising seas, storm-driven waves and the like. The barriers have been developed for use in the protection of populated areas and installation or the like in regions where the shoreline or interior body of water must be protected from excessively high tides, seas rising from other causes and from storms or the like.
Among the barriers which have been proposed for such purposes are structures which normally lie below the sea level, e.g. along the bottom of a body of water or channel, and can be pivoted upwardly to form the barrier during bad weather and at those times when the protection is desired. In the lowered state, the structure permits normal naval access.
The gates which may be used can be of the type described in Italian patent application No. 22014A/70.
Submerged hinged assemblies are required which swing about axes for protective purposes.
The hinges should be separable to permit replacement of the gates or barriers for repair or the like.
The hinge assembly required for these purposes must fulfill a number of important requirements. For example, they must be able to operate rapidly and reliably. They must be capable of providing a firm anchorage of the barrier gates to the bottom. Indeed, assembly of the hinges or mounting of the hinge must be effected under very difficult operating conditions, since one must work below the water level and nevertheless provide a highly accurate assembly. The hinges must also permit passage of pneumatic and electrical supply ducts and conduits and must accommodate sensing means for indicating the position of the hinged equipment to a remote station which may provide the control for an entire complex.